Episode: "Shore Leave"
Series:
Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 1, Episode 15
Original Air Date: December 29, 1966
After an intense drama like "Balance of Terror," a lighter story such as "Shore Leave" makes for a nice palette cleanser. Our heroes visit a strange but beautiful planet, a seemingly ideal vacation spot for an overworked crew. But of course, there is a great deal more than initially meets the eye. Dr. McCoy encounters a large rabbit with a pocket watch, followed by a dead-ringer for Alice of Wonderland fame. Other crew members have strange encounters of their own. One-shot Yeoman Tonia Barrows is kidnapped by Don Juan. Sulu fights a samurai. Kirk first runs into an old Academy nemesis, then a long-lost girlfriend. Initial assumptions that the planet was uninhabited were clearly less than accurate.
"Shore Leave" is kind of silly as
Star Trek adventures go. However, one can see the seeds planted for Holodeck-centered episodes in later
Trek series. It's nice to think that even characters in a fantasy world have daydreams of their own. I also like the idea that stories central to our culture now will continue to be vital in centuries to come.
*****
Perry Lopez (Lt. Esteban Rodriguez) was born July 22, 1931 in New York City. Initially a stage actor, he signed with Warner Bros. in 1955, appearing in
Mr. Roberts, that same year. (It's a fun movie, if only for Martin Milner's highly amusing monologue as Shore Patrol Officer.) Lopez's most famous role, however, was as Lt. Escobar in
Chinatown. He reprised the role in 1990's
The Two Jakes.
Lopez died of lung cancer in 2008. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among people I've featured in this section - a lot of smokers at those 1960s TV studios!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteJust want to let you know I won't have a book review up on Friday. I haven't managed to finish anything this month. I will have a review up for a movie based on a book, but that's not quite the same thing.
Okay. I'm already assuming a quieter month this time with the holiday. December, too, probably.
DeleteOne of the famous episodes, because it was so distinctive, although it probably has less effect on the viewer if they're not particularly aware of or care about its reputation. An amusing diversion, though, one way or another, just not to the scale of the more famous "Trouble with Tribbles."
ReplyDeleteTribbles - Season 2. I have seen it before but it's been a very long time. Sometime in the '70s, maybe? I can see how "Shore Leave" might inspire similar affection.
DeleteI must have seen this one but.... it sounds like I should remember it.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip
I know it was my first time with this one.
DeleteI remember this one particularly for that annoying Finnegan character...
ReplyDeleteI like the features you do on the actors at the end of each post. :)
I enjoy that part, too. I don't want to lose sight of the fact that most of these folks were just actors working from gig to gig. Hiring big name guest stars was still a long way off.
DeleteLooks interesting.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, Lady Lilith!
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